Worried, look at This egg! Normal?!?

[Beard4]

So our golden comet has been laying for a 12 days now in the nesting box (this is the first day I have NOT seen a beautiful hard egg).

Our Rhode Island Red started showing signs, similar to our Golden comet right before she starting to lay, last night (stand off-ish, and squatting and staying squatted for a minute).
This morning I see no egg in the nesting box but I did not look into the actual coop. At lunch I went and checked again and this is what I found.

our 7 chickens are on a mix of layer/chick starter feed. With oyster shells in the corner of the coop.. however all my chicks will eat the oyster shells..

is this normal for a Rhode Island Red first egg?
Could it be our golden comet?

..all have been on the mix feed a little under 2 weeks, oyster shells been offered for that long also for our golden comet

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Looks like a soft shelled egg which usually means a lack of calcium. I think it is more common in new layers (don’t hold me to that I’m not 100% sure) but it’s strange since it sounds like you’re offering them calcium. Are they actually eating it or eating around it? I have a hen struggling with soft shell but she REFUSES to eat the oyster shells I mix with the feed.

 

[Beard4]

I have the oyster shells off to the side.. Not mixed with the feed. However, I just offered her baked eggshells and all of them gobble that up a lot more than the oyster shells. It was laying close to were she perches at night.

Could she have dropped it in the night?

Looks like a soft shelled egg which usually means a lack of calcium. I think it is more common in new layers (don’t hold me to that I’m not 100% sure) but it’s strange since it sounds like you’re offering them calcium. Are they actually eating it or eating around it? I have a hen struggling with soft shell but she REFUSES to eat the oyster shells I mix with the feed.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

I have the oyster shells off to the side.. Not mixed with the feed. However, I just offered her baked eggshells and all of them gobble that up a lot more than the oyster shells. It was laying close to were she perches at night.

Could she have dropped it in the night?

That’s quite possible since I had no idea my girl was struggling until I saw several soft shelled eggs at the base of the wall where my chickens roost.

 

[aart]

I have the oyster shells off to the side.. Not mixed with the feed. However, I just offered her baked eggshells and all of them gobble that up a lot more than the oyster shells. It was laying close to were she perches at night.

Could she have dropped it in the night?

Are they eating the Oyster Shell?
Mix the eggshells in with the OS....in a separate feeder, not in with the regular feed.

Not unusual for a new layer to drop a few softies,
and they often are dropped wherever and whenever,
can take up to a month or so for things to smooth out.

 

[Beard4]

thanks everyone, they have been eating cooked eggs shells a lot better than the thicker oyster shells.

I have had 2 solid eggs since, followed by 2 soft shells, and then 1 hard again..

now my Rhode Island Red won’t come out of nesting box, I think she is one of my new layers, at least 1 soft shell egg

Are they eating the Oyster Shell?
Mix the eggshells in with the OS....in a separate feeder, not in with the regular feed.

Not unusual for a new layer to drop a few softies,
and they often are dropped wherever and whenever,
can take up to a month or so for things to smooth out.

 

[Hand Mama]

View attachment 2289953
So our golden comet has been laying for a 12 days now in the nesting box (this is the first day I have NOT seen a beautiful hard egg).

Our Rhode Island Red started showing signs, similar to our Golden comet right before she starting to lay, last night (stand off-ish, and squatting and staying squatted for a minute).
This morning I see no egg in the nesting box but I did not look into the actual coop. At lunch I went and checked again and this is what I found.

our 7 chickens are on a mix of layer/chick starter feed. With oyster shells in the corner of the coop.. however all my chicks will eat the oyster shells..

is this normal for a Rhode Island Red first egg?
Could it be our golden comet?

..all have been on the mix feed a little under 2 weeks, oyster shells been offered for that long also for our golden comet

I agree it does look like a soft shell egg, but more like a snakes??

 

[Hand Mama]

I agree it does look like a soft shell egg, but more like a snakes??

That could also explain why you haven seen any other eggs, where do you live?

 

[cmom]

It happens once in awhile especially with new layers while they are working out the kinks. I put grit and oyster shells in my feeders with their feed and they take what they want but I have a lot of birds and this works best for me. I have given it to them free choice but most of the time it ended up on the floor and then they didn't touch it so I started putting it in the feeders.

 

[Beard4]

I live in Alabama, the first soft shell was directly under where they perch at night. The other 2 soft shells came in on the same day (3 days after the initial one).. 1 between the feeder and water and another was where they free range first thing in the morning while I give them fresh water and make sure they have enough food.

I only have 1 layer (golden comet for 2 weeks now) however my Rhode Island Red is 23/24 weeks old.

She has seemed very interested in the nesting box, carving her out a spot every day.. I just thought she was having a hard time sorting out the laying an egg deal.

That could also explain why you haven seen any other eggs, where do you live?